Proceedings of the 2024 6th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2024)

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Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Dark Heritage Tourism: The Titanic Shipwreck and the OceanGate Expedition

Authors
Qinhua Wu1, *
1Institute of Archaeology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
*Corresponding author. Email: qinhua.wu.23@ucl.ac.uk
Corresponding Author
Qinhua Wu
Available Online 14 December 2024.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-319-1_7How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Dark Heritage; HeritageTourism; Cultural Preservation; Trauma
Abstract

The essay explores the ethical issues surrounding Dark Heritage and its intersection with tourism, using the Titanic shipwreck and the OceanGate Expedition as primary case studies. Dark heritage refers to sites and narratives of disasters, trauma, and loss, while dark tourism focuses on public fascination with such tragic histories. The essay delves into key ethical dilemmas, such as the potential disrespect towards victims, the exclusivity of such tourism experiences, and the commercialization of these sites. The OceanGate Expedition, which led to the deaths of five people during a submarine tour of the Titanic wreck in 2023, exemplifies the tension between the commercialization of dark heritage and the respect for its historical and cultural significance. The essay critiques the profit-driven nature of such expeditions, which often cater to the wealthy, and highlights the imbalance in accessibility and revenue distribution. The essay also argues that heritage professionals should play a central role in addressing these challenges by ensuring that the management of Dark Heritage sites respects both the historical integrity and the memory of the victims. Additionally, it suggests that dark heritage should be more widely shared with the public in a suitable manner, rather than being monopolized by a privileged few.

Copyright
© 2024 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2024 6th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2024)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
14 December 2024
ISBN
978-2-38476-319-1
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-319-1_7How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2024 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Qinhua Wu
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/12/14
TI  - Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Dark Heritage Tourism: The Titanic Shipwreck and the OceanGate Expedition
BT  - Proceedings of the 2024 6th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 56
EP  - 63
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-319-1_7
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-319-1_7
ID  - Wu2024
ER  -